Pirate Boy
by Anneliza
Summary: "The boy's tearstained face rose to look at him and his tears slowed. He looked so much like a baby angel that the man had instantly decided he couldn't leave this fragile, little boy all alone. Quickly picking him up, he rubbed his back as his shoulder grew damp with fresh tears."
1. Chapter 1

As he stared at the wide, blue ocean from his post behind the helm, he heard a loud shout and looked down quickly.

"Captain!" a man roared. "You need to get down here!"

He turned to his second mate and told him to watch the helm while he went to figure out what was wrong.

"Captain!" the man yelled again.

"Oui oui," he said, bored. "What is the matter?"

The man pointed to the crow's nest, clearly angry.

"He's stuck. Again."

The captain sighed and looked up to see a little boy staring back at him, petrified.

"Mon petit," he called softly. "Come down, s'il vous plaît." He shook his head quickly and clutched the pole tightly. "If you do not come down, I will have to come get you."

The man growled.

"We already said that but he still won't come down! We've tried everything!"

The captain smiled at him. "Well you did not let moi try." He pulled his sword and scabbard off and handed it to the man before grabbing the rope ladder and starting to climb.

Reaching the top, he jumped over the edge and knelt down in front of the scared boy.

"What is wrong mon petit? This is the third time you have gotten stuck up here."

The little boy looked at his feet, shuffling nervously.

He took his hand.

"You can tell moi."

The little boy looked up and quickly blurted out, "It's the only way for you to notice me!"

Shocked and embarrassed, he quickly looked down again.

The captain smiled and pulled the boy close. "Désolé mon cher. I know I am very busy but you are still my first concern." He stood up, wrapping the boy's arms and legs around him. "Now hold on tight so we can get you down."

The boy nodded and clutched the captain's neck tightly as he started back down to the deck.

When he stepped lightly to the ground, he put the little boy down and took his hand gently.

"Come on mon petit. Let us get you some food. You must be hungry."

Again the boy nodded and followed the man into his cabin.

Once the door was closed and he was seated in his large chair behind his desk, the captain held his arms out.

"Come to moi." The little didn't need to be told twice, quickly running over to the man where he was picked up and set on his lap. "I am sorry mon petit. I have to make sure this ship runs smoothly and without hassle but I should pay more attention to you than I do." He hugged him gently. "Now would you like something to eat?"

"O-Oui Papa."

The captain smiled at his adopted son before patting his head. "D'accord mon petit." He sat the boy on the desk before walking over to the door and calling a man to get them some food.

When he came back, he stroked the boy's long, blond hair. It was quite beautiful and very similar to his own so most people believed that they were related when the boy was only adopted.

He had been found during the captain's trip to Nouvelle France. The poor boy had been all alone in the middle of a field.

_The captain knelt down in front of the crying boy and wiped some ash and grime off his face._

_"Come now little one," he whispered in English. "No one is going to hurt you anymore."_

_The boy's tearstained face rose to look at him and his tears slowed. He looked so much like a baby angel that the man had instantly decided he couldn't leave this fragile, little boy all alone. Quickly picking him up, he rubbed his back as his shoulder grew damp with fresh tears. He softly stroked the soft hair to calm him._

_When the whimpers and cries stopped, he looked down and saw that the boy had fallen asleep._

_He turned and started for the ship._

_"C-Captain?" one of his men called. "Aren't we going to explore?"_

_"Non. There is nothing for us that way. Can you not smell the smoke?" He kept walking. "I'm going to take him back and clean him up. He's a mess and I think he'll feel better when he's not quite so dirty. Maybe he can tell us what happened and possibly even show us around."_

_He carried the boy as gently and carefully as the most precious cargo in the world all the way back to the ship and washed him before laying him down on the big bed in his cabin that no other person had ever seen. He honestly had no idea why this little boy was so special and pondered his reasons for taking him with him while the boy slept._

_When the little eyes slowly blinked open and those brilliant blue eyes shone as he looked around, he knew that no matter the reason he would always protect this mysterious child._

_"Are you alright little one?" he asked, leaning forward._

_The boy nodded._

_"O-Oui."_

_His eyes widened a little in surprise._

_"Tu parle français?"_

_"Bien sûr."_

_"Do you have a name?"_

_"They called me 'Matthew'," he said quietly._

_He sighed happily._

_"Mathieu is a magnifique name."_

_"Merci."_

_He gently stroked the boy's hair again._

_"Just rest little one. You are probably very tired and a little sick. I will still be here when you wake up. If you need anything, just tell moi." He smiled kindly. "I will not hurt you. Je promets. Do not worry."_

_Matthew laid down again and closed his eyes._

"What are you thinking about Papa?"

Matthew's quiet voice snapped him back to the present.

"Nothing mon petit," he said as he pat the boy's head. "Are you done?"

He nodded and pushed his bowl away, yawning.

The man smiled and picked him up.

"I think it is time for bed."

He lay the boy down gently before laying next to him and pulling him close.

As he closed his eyes, he smiled. This little boy was always going to be the most important thing to him.

* * *

AN: I might make another chapter but I can't tell if I should.

But aww! Baby Mattie is so adorable! And he's the son of a pirate! Can you guess which one? XD

And 'Pirate Boy' is only a temporary title. If anyone can think of a better one, let me know.


	2. Chapter 2

The Englishman was smirking at the men before him.

"Good evening mates," he said to them. "I hope you are enjoying yourselves." All of the Frenchman's crew was surrounded by the Englishman's while he stood in front. "However, none of you, or even the tiny amount of treasure in your hold, is the reason why I'm here. I wish to speak to your captain. Would anyone care to fetch him?" No one answered. No one was going to sell out their captain. "No volunteers? Well then I guess I'll have to find him myself."

He started to walk towards the cabin.

"W-Wait!" one of the men called. "I-I'll do it!"

The crew around him glared at the Englishman's while silently supporting the man who spoke up; they all knew it was better for one of their own to rouse their captain rather than let the Englishman. Englishmen weren't trustworthy and their captain would probably be slain before he was ever awoken or given a chance to fight back.

A few of the Englishman's crew let the man through and he hurried to the cabin.

The man knocked on the broad door to the cabin nervously.

"C-Captain? We need you out here!"

He heard a loud groan and hurried away from the door.

"Thank you," the other captain said. "You were most helpful." Before the man could react, the captain pulled his gun out and shot him in the head. "Thank you for serving your purpose."

Inside the room the captain sat up, still quite groggy from sleep.

Looking at the boy still asleep next to him, he smiled and gently kissed his forehead.

"Sleep well mon petit. I will be back."

He stood up and stretched before grabbing his coat and throwing it on, slipping out of the room quietly.

"Oui oui!" he called as he strolled up to the helm. "What did you need moi for?"

Opening his eyes he saw the dead man, his surrounded crew, and the grinning English captain.

"What are you doing here?!" he demanded. "Get off my ship at once and release my men! Do not think I will forgive you for this!"

"I do not believe that I will be listening to you, mate. You see, /I/ have the upper hand here. Do not try and negotiate with me when I'm soon going to have the /real/ treasure of this ship."

His eyes narrowed into slits.

"If you think you can take me from this ship you are mistaken!"

The Englishman laughed and said, "It's not you I would be worried about."

Realizing what he meant, the other man tore back to his cabin. "Mathieu?! Mathieu!?" He ran around the room, desperately searching for the little boy.

He quickly pulled the sheets off the bed.

As they fluttered to the ground, he gasped.

Matthew was not in the room.

Bursting back on deck, he saw the little boy. Next to him, on either side, was a fierce man, each gripping one of his arms.

"Is this what you treasure so much?" the other captain asked as he stepped out of the shadows.

"Angleterre! Do not do this! He is only a little boy!"

The other man walked up behind Matthew and held his sword in front of the boy, almost protectively.

"But he is so important to you," he practically purred. "And you know I can't stand anything you like, frog."

"Is he not like your little boy though?! How would feel if it was moi with your boy and you were the one watching?"

The English captain frowned.

"That's not the same. You would never hurt 'un enfant' as your filthy language puts it. And you would never get my boy."

"Are you always this cruel around him? Surely not even you are this heartless."

He glared.

"He is not here. He is at home." He stroked Matthew's hair, making the boy shudder fearfully. "And that is soon where this one will be also. It's remarkable how similar they look though."

"Non!" the Frenchman yelled as he leapt forward.

But one move made him freeze in place.

The other man had pulled his little boy against him and now held his sword against his throat.

"Don't," he whimpered. "Please don't."

The other man grinned.

"I like this side of you, frog. You're so obedient." He used his free hand to trail along the boy's face; every movement was tracked by the Frenchman's eyes. "Maybe I should keep you two."

When his eyes lit up, the other man laughed. "Not together of course. He will be kept far away from you. Can't have you trying anything after all."

He growled.

"Let him go, rosbif. He is not a part of this."

"Oh yes he is. When you took him he automatically became a part of this. You used to be a king but now you're a pawn. My pawn."

"I am not!" he roared, indignant. "You take that-!" He stopped as the other man pressed his sword harder against Matthew's throat.

The other man laughed.

"You see? This little boy is the most important thing to you so if I control him, I control you. One threat and you listen. One injury-" He pulled out his dagger and dragged it across the boy's cheek, cutting it. "And you beg."

"I would never-" The other moved his dagger to the other cheek and started to press, little beads of blood flowing out and down his face. "Stop it!"

He put the dagger away.

"You see? He is your weakness. Now, you will come with me, both of you, and I will watch him while you serve me."

Knowing he was defeated, the Frenchman put his head down.

"I will come with you. Just leave my crew alone."

They stared at him in shock; they were supposed to die before they let anything happen to their captain and here he was, giving himself up to save them and the little boy they all treasured so much.

The English captain nodded.

"Fair enough. Now get on my ship."

He used the hand with the dagger to point at the gangplank.

Slowly the man walked away from his crew and onto the other ship.

* * *

AN: I finally thought of more! You bad people made me write more for this story when it was supposed to be a oneshot and now it's never going to end! Why would you do this to me?!

Not gonna lie though, I liked threatening Matthew with the sword. It was fun.

I'm still mad at you all though! I didn't want to work on another chapter story! I already have four! This makes five! Not cool guys! Not cool!

Anyway...see ya soon...I guess...


	3. Chapter 3

As soon as they reached the other boat, the French captain was pushed to the ground roughly.

He hissed in pain and the other man laughed.

"Come now frog. You used to be stronger than this. Surely that little boy hasn't slowed you down?"

"I am just as strong as you are, rosbif!" he shot back.

The Englishman raised a large eyebrow.

"Is that so?" He muttered something to the man next to him. The man walked away quickly. "I say we test that out."

The French captain was confused but the other didn't say anything.

Soon the man reappeared carrying two swords; one was handed to his captain reverently while the other was thrown down in front of the Frenchman.

He stood up slowly and picked up the sword, pointing it straight at the other captain.

The Englishman smirked.

"How about a bet, frog? If you win you can have the boy back and I will drop you both off on that forsaken country you call a home."

"Deal!"

He shook his finger.

"Ah ah ah. Wait a moment frog. You haven't heard what I get if I win." Seeing the glint in the other's eyes, the French captain felt nervous. "If I win, the boy is mine and so are you. You will not complain and will do exactly as I say or there will be consequences."

The man weighed his options.

He was rather skilled with a sword but so was the other. And he was risking his son's freedom as well as his own.

"I will only agree to this if you promise not to hurt him!"

The other captain 'tsked'.

"You are not in much of a position to be making demands of me, frog. I am being quite generous with my offer. Take it or leave it."

Sighing in defeat, he seemed to be doing that a lot lately, he nodded.

"D'accord. We'll play it your way but if you hurt mon petit then I will not listen to a word you say and when I get my freedom I will come after you with everything I have!"

The other grinned and nodded, holding his sword up.

"Works for me. Now-" He crossed swords with the other. "We duel."

Before the other could react, he swung at him.

He managed to dodge it, though barely, and countered with a swipe of his own. It was blocked and a swift jab was aimed at him. He leapt backwards and stumbled. Grinning at his stumble, the man upped his attacks, making him kept backing up until his back hit the main mast. His eyes widened and he looked up quickly before looking back at the other and raising his sword to block the hit. Sparks flew off the swords as they scrapped across each other.

"Give it up frog," the other hissed at him. "You know you can't win against me! Your boy will be mine and so will you!"

"Non!" he yelled back, trying to push the English captain away.

"P-Papa!" Matthew's frantic voice shouted.

Turning his head, he saw his son watching, terrified.

Using his distraction, the Englishman hooked his sword through the handle of the Frenchman's and tossed it away.

The man's head snapped back to look at him, eyes full of fear.

"You lose."

He screamed in pain as the other's dagger was shoved into his stomach, going all the way to through to stab the mast, pinning him to the wood.

"PAPA!" the little boy cried.

The dagger was pulled out of his stomach and he fell to the ground, hair falling into his face.

Matthew ran over to him and hugged him tightly, crying hard.

A man grabbed him and tried to pull him away but Matthew tightened his grip on the Frenchman's arm.

Getting frustrated, the man roughly tore him away and dragged him into the Englishman's cabin while he tried to fight his way back to his adoptive father.

"P-Papa!" he yelled. "Papa help!"

The Frenchman didn't move.

He was shoved into the cabin forcefully and fell to the ground as the door was slammed in his face.

Quickly, he jumped back up he started pounding on the door.

"Papa! Papa save me!"

"Shut up!" someone on the other side shouted and he instantly stopped talking.

'I have to hide,' he thought. 'That way I can sneak out and get back to Papa when they aren't looking.'

He jumped up and ran around the room looking for a good hiding spot.

Deciding on the underside of the bed, he slipped underneath it and tried to stay still.

Back on deck the Englishman was studying the unconscious Frenchman.

"Lock him in the brig," he instructed his first mate. "As far away as possible. Wrap him up and leave him alone. And tell the crew that if they touch him they are good as dead."

The man nodded.

"Aye aye. Anything else?"

"Don't bother me. I'll be in my cabin." He walked away and kicked the door to his room open. He stuck his head out after a moment and yelled, "Someone bring me a drink!"

He stalked to his desk and threw himself into his chair, laying his feet on the desk.

"Such a good day. Got frogface locked up and have the boy he cherishes so much in my possession."

Pausing, he put his feet down and stood up.

Where was the little boy?

He looked around the grand room before kneeling down in front of the bed.

* * *

EDIT: Part of an unfinished/random part was stuck at the end when it wasn't supposed to be. I can't believe it took me so long to notice...

AN: I finally finished that! I'm not very good at fight scenes so forgive me. I hope you still like it! I worked really hard on it. :D

Poor Francis. He got stabbed in the stomach. And poor Matthew had to watch! Now they're both Arthur's property...what will happen to them?

See ya soon! :D Look for a new chapter of 'ANE' if you follow that by the way!


	4. Chapter 4

The English captain clasped his hands together and raised his head to look out the window behind his desk. A few of the first rays of sunlight were trying to poke through and he sighed. Clasping his hands together, he closed his eyes and bent his head.

"Hello Mom," he whispered. "How is it up there? Probably pretty good…better than it is down here anyway. I know it's been a long time since I last talked to you and I'm sorry. In that time I've stained my hands to the point of being permanent. I will never be able to erase all this red. Also, I don't know if you know, but I captured a Frenchie today. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with him, maybe I'll kill him, maybe I'll keep him as a servant. I don't know yet. I also took his boy away…he reminds me so much of Alfred and I'm sure I can take better care of him than that frog would. Do you remember Alfred? You didn't really get to meet him before…well anyway he's growing up to be a fine boy. You would be so proud of him." He rubbed his eyes in irritation. "I can't get the frog out of my head…he's the same one from when I was little. Surely you remember him? It's alright if you don't. In fact I hope you don't now that I think about it. I still blame him for what he did. I should kill him. Get my revenge. I don't know if I could carry that through though. I've become so tough and hard since I lost you but I don't know if I can be that cruel to someone I used to call my best friend even if he did have a hand in…" He sighed deeply. "For now I'm going to take the two of them home and see what happens. That sounds logical and reasonable, right? Wow, it's been a long time since I've tried to figure out what's make sense instead of just plunging ahead. I don't know about anything anymore. I wish you were still here to tell me what to do…" A shard of light hit him in the face. "Well I've kept you long enough. I need to get some sleep and then figure out what to do. I will talk to you again soon, alright? Good night, Mom."

He stood up and stretched his back before changing and getting into his bed. The bed sunk low with the weight and Matthew squeaked a little, fearing he would be crushed. Luckily the English captain thought it was the bed and ignored it.

"That little boy will turn up soon," he mumbled through a yawn. "Someone will spot him and catch him."

He fell asleep quickly and Matthew slipped out from under the bed, running quickly to the door. Pulling on the handle the door opened with difficulty and he squeezed through the small opening he made. He started for where he had last seen his Papa, carefully avoiding detection in the early morning.

To his dismay the other wasn't there anymore.

"P-Papa…? Papa, where are you…?"

He looked around and hid behind the mast as he heard two sailors talking about the man in question.

"Aye, we locked him in the brig," one said with a laugh. "That frog won't escape, no matter how hard he tries."

When they passed, Matthew ran for the brig, a place his papa had told him never to go to again on their ship because he had locked himself in it on accident once.

As he approached he saw his papa chained to the wall.

"Papa!"

The man looked up, eyes weary and bloodshot.

"M-Mon p-petit?" he asked, voice hoarse and unsteady. "W-What are you d-doing down h-here?"

The boy ran up to the bars and stuck his hand through, trying to reach the other. The Frenchman reached as far as the chains would let him; they were kept apart by a few inches.

Giving up, Matthew pulled his hand back.

"P-Papa…I'm scared…I-I want to go h-home…"

The man's heart broke at how terrified his precious boy was.

"W-We w-will. J-Je p-promets."

Matthew looked down.

"Th-That man w-wants to k-kill you…"

"J-Je sais…H-He has w-wanted to f-for a l-long t-time…" the man said sadly.

Matthew looked around desperately.

"You need to get out of there!"

The captain shook his head.

"Non, mon petit." He heard movement. "You need to leave. Someone is coming."

Nodding quickly, Matthew ran back to the deck. Not sure what to do, he looked around and spotted the crow's nest. He hurried toward it and started climbing up the rope ladder.

Someone spotted him and pointed.

"Ey look! There's the brat!"

Many sailors gathered by the mast, starting to shout at him.

"You better get back down here or we'll shoot you!"

Scared, the boy curled into a ball and tried to ignore the yells.

"P-Papa! Only Papa can make me come down!" he screamed. "O-Only P-Papa!"

A sailor pulled out his pistol and fired a warning shot into the air.

"You will come down now or we will make you!"

Starting to shake, he hugged his knees tightly, tears sliding down his face.

A man leapt over the edge and grabbed him by the back of his nightgown. "You could have avoided this, brat," he whispered before he threw him out of the nest.

Matthew screamed as he fell through the air; he didn't stop when someone caught him.

"Oi!" an angry voice yelled. "Who is making all that noise and keeping me up?!" The crew quickly turned to see their furious captain and pointed at the shrieking boy on the ground. "What happened?!" he demanded, noticing how terrified he was.

No one answered.

The captain picked up the little boy. "Go back to your stations!" he ordered, carrying the boy back with him.

Matthew slowly calmed down and simply cried.

"What happened, lad?"

"Th-They th-threw me o-off the n-nest," he forced out between hiccups.

"W-WHAT?!" He stood up quickly. "Stay here while I deal with them."

He strode to the door and left.

* * *

AN: Ha! Arthur was kneeling to look for Matthew! He was kneeling to pray to his mom!

Yeah...sorry about the wait...college keeps one SUPER busy, especially now that's it's time for finals. But oh well! More Pirate Boy for you all who waited! And this chappie is dedicated to a good friend of mine for encouraging me. You know who you are. ;)


	5. Chapter 5

Matthew curled into a ball on the floor and hiccupped. 'Why is everything different? Why does that man hate Papa so much? Why can't he let us go? I just want to go home! I want to go back to our ship! I want to see everyone again! Is this because I was bad? Is this my fault? Is it because I didn't listen to them and I hid in the crow's nest again? If it is I promise to be better! I'll do whatever the sailors and Papa say! I promise! I'll be good! I just want to go home!' He erupted into tears and hugged himself tightly.

The door burst open and the English captain strode in, angrily muttering to himself. When he spotted Matthew on the floor he stopped.

"What are you doing down there, lad?"

Quickly jumping to his feet and wiping his eyes, Matthew responded, "N-Nothing, sir. S-Sorry."

The man raised an eyebrow.

"The frog certainly taught you to be polite. What a surprise."

Matthew nodded.

"Y-Yes sir. Papa taught me to always be polite and c-cor…" He paused, trying to remember the word. "Courteous to others.

"That's strange for him." He knelt down in front of the other boy. "Tell me something, lad. Was the frog nice to you? Did he treat you well? Honestly."

"Who? Papa?" The man nodded. "Of course! Papa is the nicest person I know! He never hits me or anything that anyone else has…"

The boy looked away sadly, worrying his lip between his teeth as more tears threatened to spill out of his big blue eyes.

"Peculiar…" the older murmured before addressing the other again. "Well I will try and be as good to you as he was. We're headed back to England, my homeland, and you can stay there will my son. His name is Alfred and he's about your age. I think you'll get on well."

Matthew rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand.

"W-What…w-what about Papa?"

"He'll be there too. You see your…'Papa' is going to work for me."

Raising watery eyes to the captain, Matthew asked, "So I'll be able to see him again?"

The man sighed deeply.

"Well…no…" Matthew started hiccupping. "He's going to work in another part of the house."

"W-What…w-what part?"

"I don't know yet."

Bursting into tears again, he screamed, "I want my Papa back! I want him, not you! I want to go to our home, not yours!" His voice broke. "I-I w-want P-Papa…"

"Too bad!" the man yelled suddenly. "You aren't getting him back! Now shut up and get out of my sight!"

Gasping in shock, Matthew ran away from the other as fast as he could.

* * *

The English captain ended up below deck. He wanted to talk to the bloody frog about his stupid kid and how poorly he was raised. That boy was selfish and rude, no matter what he thought before.

As he neared the brig he heard hushed voices.

He paused and hid to listen.

"A-And then h-he y-yelled at m-me!" a quiet voice whimpered.

"Oh mon pauvre bebe!" another voice soothed. "That was so cruel! Je suis désolé, mon petit! I am so sorry!"

"P-Papa," the quiet voice started. "Papa, I want to go home. I don't like it here. Everyone is so mean to me. It's not like our ship at all!"

The other voice clucked sympathetically.

"Je sais. I know, mon cher. If I could you know I would get you out of here and back there. Get you back to where you are safe and happy. I wish I could make it so this never happened to you…"

"Papa…my cheek hurts…"

"Désolé, chaton. I would kiss it and make it better if I could reach you."

Small sobs echoed down the corridor.

"I-I h-hate it h-here."

"I know. I know." The English captain readjusted himself, trying to get more comfortable, and knocked some barrels over. The voices instantly stopped.

"Who is there?!" the older one demanded.

He slipped out of his hiding place, glaring at the Frenchman.

"Me you insufferable git. In case you forgot, this is my ship and I'm allowed to walk around it as I please."

The other man narrowed his eyes.

"I did not. As much I try to ignore the fact, I am unable. This place smells like rotting flesh. I will never be able to forget such a stench. It is almost as bad as you!"

Growling and bearing his teeth, the English captain shoved Matthew away from the cell the other was in, ignoring his pained whimper, and ripped the key off his belt. Quickly unlocking the door, the stepped inside and locked the door behind him.

"You will regret that," he said dangerously, eyes dark. "And little boy, I would suggest getting up to my cabin. This is not something for your eyes." Matthew nodded hastily and ran to the stairs, tripping over himself more than once in his fear. "I will finally take my revenge on you for what you did."

The Frenchman put up his hands in defense.

"I know what you think happened but it did not! You are mistaken! Listen to me! I will tell you the truth!"

Grasping the other tightly by the throat, the younger captain pulled him forward, glaring menacingly.

"You know nothing! I will not listen to your lies again, you twat!" Undoing the chains that kept the man against the wall, he took a length of coarse rope and tied his wrists together behind his back and pushed him to the ground. Placing his boot on the middle of his back, he kept the other down. "And I will make you pay for what you did!"

Back on deck Matthew heard his Papa scream and start pleading loudly. Slapping his hands over his ears he was unable to stop the fresh tears rolling down his cheeks.

* * *

AN: Finally a new chapter! I've been so busy with finals and Christmas and Ikkicon and a friend coming over so I didn't have time to write. But now you get a chapter!

Yes but you should be able to guess what the two captains are doing. If you can't it will become more obvious later. But I think in the next chapter they will arrive in England and we'll see what job Francis gets.


	6. Chapter 6

"Here we are," the English captain said as he stepped into his large home; Matthew following behind him. "Now wait for me," he told the little boy, waiting for a confirming nod before walking into the foyer. "Alfred! I'm home!"

Thunderous footfalls announced the presence of a boy about eight coming down the stairs.

"Dad!" he yelled happily, running forward and hugging the captain tightly around the waist. "You're finally home!"

A soft smile broke out on the man's face as he put a hand on top of his son's head.

"Yes, Alfred. I'm finally home. And I'm going to stay home for a while."

The boy stared in awe at his father.

"Really?"

Nodding, the man knelt down to be on level with Alfred.

"Yes, Alfred. And I brought someone to keep you company when I have to go away again." He motioned to the men still waiting in the entry and they pushed Matthew up to the captain. Very shy and still scared, he tried to hide behind the captain's coat; little eyes peeking out at the older boy. "Alfred, this is Matthew," he explained as he pulled the hiding boy into sight. "We…commandeered him off another vessel and he will be living with us now."

Alfred's face had set into a solid mask when the other boy had been first introduced but it suddenly broke and he leapt forward, hugging him tightly.

"Yay! I'm gonna have a little brother now!" he yelled making Matthew wince. "This is so cool! I've always wanted a brother!"

The captain smiled as Alfred dragged the boy off, chattering away, until they were out of sight. Then he turned to the men still waiting by the door for their orders.

"Bring the wench in carefully. Don't let him get seen. You know what to do with him."

The men nodded and left quickly.

"Alfred Franklin Jones Kirkland!" a woman roared as she stormed out the back door. "You cannot just decide to skive off your lessons whenever you feel like it! I do not know how many times I have to-!"

"But Dad's home!" Alfred shouted quickly, cutting across her. "And I'm always allowed out of lessons when he gets home!"

The plump woman stopped in her tracks.

"Your father is home?" Alfred nodded. "I did not expect him for another two weeks though…" She trailed off, thinking. "But still! You need to come inside and finish your lessons!"

Alfred shook his head and put his hands on his hips.

"Not today, Miss Nancy! I have to show Mattie where to avoid so he doesn't die when he's alone out here!"

The woman rolled her eyes.

"And is this 'Mattie' another imaginary friend of yours, young master?"

"No!" he shot back, eyes angry. "He's right here!" With that he shoved the nervous boy out into the open.

Surprised, the large woman leaned down to look at him.

"And where did you come from, little one? Did you wander in here?" Her eyes narrowed at the thought of some street urchin making their way onto the property she was in charge of. "Or are you a new servant?"

"Mattie is gonna be my brother!" Alfred declared, hugging the younger boy tightly. "Dad said so!"

"So I have to look after him too? And teach him?"

Alfred nodded.

"Yep! And you get to do your favorite thing!"

Miss Nancy grit her teeth and angrily asked, "And that is?"

"You get to call him 'young master' just like you call me!" Alfred sang out making sure to immediately grab Matthew's arm and dash for the house before the woman could process what he had said.

"You little brat! Get back here!" Darting inside, Alfred checked the Matthew was behind him before he locked the back door in the woman's face. "Hey! Let me in! You cannot just lock me out here!"

Alfred stuck his tongue out and turned to Matthew who looked horrified.

"Whatsa matter?"

"Y-You…y-you just…ignored your caretaker…how could you do that?"

He laughed.

"It was easy! Didn't you just see what I did?" He took Matthew's hand and started to lead him out of the kitchen. "Just watch me and you'll learn soon enough!"

The English captain stepped lightly up the stairs towards his bedroom, sending dark looks at any servant he passed to make them scurry away. At the door, he looked around quickly to make sure he was alone in the hall before slipping into the room.

A smile curled at his lips when he saw what was waiting for him. Sliding his gloves off, he dropped them onto his ornate mahogany desk.

He kept his back to his bed as he shrugged his jacket down his shoulders and folded it over his chair.

"So," he started, still not turning around. "I'm sure you did not expect this, did you frog?" A quiet rustle of moving sheets was his only response. "However I decided to keep you up here instead of another cell. How kind of me, hmm?" Silence. Grinning, he turned and crept stealthily over to the bed, climbing onto it and over the bound, blindfolded and gagged man. "I am not going to lie. It is nice to see you like this after _years_ of plotting your revenge." He pulled a dagger from his boot and dragged it lightly down the man's chest, making the other still in nervousness. "You took something I deeply loved from me, so I am just returning the favor." He pressed the blade into the man's side, almost hard enough to break the skin but not quite for a moment before continuing its path downwards. "Don't worry. I will take good care of your little boy just like you." With the last word he shoved the dagger into the Frenchman's leg, causing the other to cry out in pain and start to thrash on the bed while the other laughed.

* * *

AN:We finally meet Alfred and he's kind of a brat as Miss Nancy aptly calls him. Poor Matthew is so confused by him. One, he's never really interacted with another child before. And two, he's never been too disobedient, only acting out to make his father pay attention to him. Arthur on the other hand...he's gonna make things horrible for Francis...

Sidenote: Miss Nancy is loosely based off of the Miss Nancy in Little Inferno if you know about that game. She's about the same shape and look but their attitudes are very different. The one in the game is pretty nice while this one is not.

Yes...it has been a long time since my last chapter. My laptop (which had the next few chapters of most of my stories! D:) broke AGAIN so I got a new one for my birthday. But! The point is that I can't get to any of my other stories (I'm trying to figure out a way but so far...). However, Pirate Boy had hit a snag so it couldn't progress farther so I didn't lose anything but a snippet that goes at the end of the story~ Yay!


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